AT&T Smartphones: Tech Under $50
Last week we covered a few of the less expensive smartphones for Verizon Wireless. Â They’re great if you don’t plan on traveling outside of the US anytime soon, but the biggest US carrier with phones that work in a majority of other countries, however, is AT&T. Â Finding a smartphone on AT&T that’s worthwhile and not an iPhone can be tough, especially when you’re on a budget or just don’t want to spend hundred of dollars for a smartphone. Â As with last week, most of the phones come from Amazon which tends to sell phones cheaper than the carriers do.
BlackBerry Bold 9700
$49.99 {Amazon}
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the most expensive smartphone on this list, at $49.99.  As with most BlackBerrys, the Bold 9700 isn’t terribly exciting.  It has a 2.4-inch screen, and a full QWERTY keyboard, and has the newer trackpad rather than scroll button that’s been met with mixed reactions. Be forewarned: it will likely be obsolete after the BlackBerry and AT&T press conference on August 3rd, where we’ll hopefully see a phone running the new BlackBerry 6. But for now, and for under $50, the Bold 9700 is still a pretty good choice.
Motorola Backflip
$0.01 {Amazon}
The Backflip is a strange phone.  You’ve probably seen the advertisements on TV touting the phone’s social networking capability using the Motoblur features.  What isn’t clear is that the phone’s design is a bit… backwards.  When folded closed, the keyboard is directly opposite the touchscreen rathe than sliding underneath the screen like it’s sister phone, the T-Mobile Cliq.  Behind the screen when the keyboard is folded out is a touchpad, with can be a bit confusing to use.  It still runs on Android 1.5, but will be updated to Android 2.1 within a few months. For those who like to spend a lot of time on social networks, the Backflip is still a good choice.
